BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Drainage of the pleural space is a common procedure. The safety of chest tube insertion in patients using clopidogrel has not been investigated. METHODS: Ultrasound-guided chest tube insertions performed on 24 patients who were being actively treated with clopidogrel were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: No excessive bleeding occurred in any of these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Given the known effects of clopidogrel on platelet function, these results were interpreted as indicating that clopidogrel therapy is a relative but not an absolute contraindication to chest tube insertion, if an experienced operator places a small-bore tube under ultrasound guidance.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Drainage of the pleural space is a common procedure. The safety of chest tube insertion in patients using clopidogrel has not been investigated. METHODS: Ultrasound-guided chest tube insertions performed on 24 patients who were being actively treated with clopidogrel were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: No excessive bleeding occurred in any of these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Given the known effects of clopidogrel on platelet function, these results were interpreted as indicating that clopidogrel therapy is a relative but not an absolute contraindication to chest tube insertion, if an experienced operator places a small-bore tube under ultrasound guidance.
Authors: Yuansong Zhu; Chengxiang Zhang; Yuqiao Xie; Bryan Richard Sasmita; Zhenxian Xiang; Yi Jiang; Ming Gong; Yaxin Wang; Siyu Chen; Suxin Luo; Bi Huang Journal: Front Cardiovasc Med Date: 2022-09-21